Clothes-line.



No; 851,543. PATENTED APR. 23, 1907. E. MERRIFIELD.

CLOTHES LINE.

APPLICATION TILED NOV. 13, 1906.

y A! I I v J": NORRIS psrsns co., WASHING'TDN, u. r;

ENOCH MERRIFIELD, OF MABYSVILLE, MONTANA.

CLOTHES-LINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 23, 1907.

Application filed November 13, 1906. Serial No. 343,226.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, ENOCH MEnniFinLn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Marysville, in the county of Lewis and Clark and State of Montana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Clothes-lines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to clothes lines, and has for its object to provide a simple and cheap construction of clothes line embody ing as a part thereof clamping devices for the clothes so as to dispense with the use of pins or other supplemental fastening devices for securing the clothes to the line, such clamping devices furthermore acting as a means to stretch the line.

Although the invention is particularly adapted as a clothes line, yet it is evident that it could be employed for displaying articles in a store or for a letter and bill lile, newspaper file, and the like, and by its use the clothes, articles, letters, bills, or newspapers will be securely held, as well as being easily removed and replaced without injury thereto.

Further objects of the invention are, to provide a clothes line which shall be simple in construction, strong, durable, dispensing with the use of pins or supplemental clothesattaching devices, embodying means to draw the line taut, ellicient in its use, conveniently handled, readily set up and comparatively inexpensive to manufacture.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein is shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications can be resorted to which come within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

In describing the invention in detail reference is had to the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a side view of a portion of a clothes line in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the clamping and tightening member. Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. i is a top plan view of one of the sections of the line. Fig. 5 is a like view of a modilied form of one of the sections of the line. Fig. 6 is a sectional detail of two of the modified sections shown in Fig. 5 when connected together.

A clothes line in accordance with this invention is formed of a plurality of sections, depending upon the length of the line. Each pair of sections is connected together by a combined clamp and tightening member.

The sections of the line are indicated by the reference character 1, and each of which consists of an elongated bar, preferably of metal, substantially U-shaped in cross section and having each of its ends bifurcated, as at 2, for the purpose of straddling a com bined clamp and tightening member, referred to generally by the reference character 3.

The member 3 has its upper end a substantially \l-shaped in contour to allow the said member to straddle a section 1 when securing an object to the said section. Said portion 4 when in operative position, extends in the same direction as the section which it is straddling, and when the member 3 is in operative position said portion 1 extends at an angle with respect to the handle portion 5 of said member. The handle portion 5 of the member 3 is connected to the portion 4 through the medium of an arch-shaped portion 6. This portion 6 where it merges into the handle portion 5 is formed with a pair of inclined slots 7, 8. The member 3 is adapted to be interposed between a pair of the sections 1, and when set up in such a manner the bifurcated ends 2 of a pair of opposing sections 1 straddle the member i and are connected to the member 3 by rivets 9, which extend through the bifurcated ends 2 and the slots 7, Sthat is to say, one of the sections 1 is connected to the member 3 by its rivet 9 extending through the slot 7 and the opposing section 1 is connected to the member 3 by its rivet 9 extending through the slot 8. When the member 3 is in operative position, that is to say,-clamping an object to the line, the rivet 9 of one section 1 is positioned in the upper end of the slot 8 and the rivet 9 of the other section 1 is positioned in the lower end of the slot 7. When the rivets 9 are in the positions just stated the member 3 acts as a means to hold the line tight, but when the member 3 is shifted so that the rivet 9 of one section will be moved to the lower end of the slot 8 and the rivet 9 of the other section shifted to the upper end of the slot 7 the line which the portion 4straddles.

will be slack, as will be evident, so, therefore, the member 3 not only acts as a means for clamping the object to the line, but furthermore acts as a means for tightening the line. The. end sections of the line are provided with a ring or eye 10 formed by bending the section upon itself, as at 11. This end section is adapted to straddle a clamping member and be secured thereto by a rivet 9.

Fig. 5 of the drawings illustrates a modified construction of bar to be used for the sections of the line in lieu of the construction of bar shown in Figs. 1 and 3 and this modified form of bar is solid and indicated by the reference character 13. Each end of the bar is bifurcated, as at 14, to enable it to straddle the combined clamp and tightening member. The bar 13 is connected to the member 3 in the same manner as the form of bar shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

It is thought that the manner in which an object is secured or released from the line can be fully understood from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, but it will be stated that when the object is placed upon the line it is secured thereto bymoving the member 3 so that the portion 4 of said member will clamp the object to that section of the line This action is had by moving the member 3 so as to cause the rivets of one section to move to the top of the slot Sand the rivet of the other section to move to the bottom of the slot 7 and the rivets are in such position that the line will be drawn tight as will be evident. To release the object the handle of the member 3 is moved upwardly so as to elevate the portion 4 which releases the object and causes a slack in the line.

What I claim is 1. A clothes line composed of a series of sections, and a shiftable combined clamp and tightening member interposed between and connected to a pair of said sections, said member when shifted in one direction adapted to release an object from theline and cause a slack in the line and when shifted in the op posite direction adapted to straddle one of the sections of the pair to clamp the object to the line and to tighten the line.

In a clothes line, the combination with a plurality of sections, of a shiftable combined clamp and line tightening member interposed between and connected to each pair of sections, said member comprising a handle portion and a straddling portion for one of the sections of the line to clam an object thereto and adapted when shifted in one direction to cause a slack in the line and release an object therefrom, and, when shifted in the other direction, to draw the line taut and have the straddling portion clamping an object to the line.

3. A clothes line comprising a series of sections having bifurcated ends, a combined clothes clamp and tightening member interposed between each pair of sections and eX- tending in the bifurcations of the opposing ends of said pair of sections, said member in termediate its ends provided with a pair of slots opposing each other and means extending through the bifurcated ends of the opposing sections and through the inclined slots in the said member for connecting the sections to the member. I

4. A clothes line comprising a pair of-bars having the opposing ends thereof bifurcated, a combined clamping and tightening member interposed between the pair of bars and ex tending in the bifurcations thereof, said member comprising an angularly-extending portion adapted to straddle one of the said bars, a handle portion and an intermediate portion connecting the handle to the straddling portion, said intermediateportion provided with a pair of inclined slots, and rivets extending through the bifurcated ends of the bars and the slots of said intermediate portion.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ENOCH MERRIFIELD.

Witnesses:

C. HANsoN, GEO. W. PADBURY. 

